Catholic priest in hospital in ANOTHER Zanzibar acid attack just weeks after British teens

A ROMAN Catholic priest was badly injured after attackers threw acid at him in Tanzania.

Father Joseph Anselmo Mwagambwa was in the historic Stone Town area when the attack occurred [GETTY]

Father Joseph Anselmo Mwagambwa is being treated in hospital for burns after the incident on Friday afternoon. He was leaving an internet cafe in Stone Town in Zanzibar City when acid was thrown over him.

Zanzibar police spokesman Mohamed Mhina said: "He sustained burns in his face and shoulders. The acid burnt through his shirt." The acid also injured his chest, thighs and legs.

This is the fifth acid attack to be reported in the area in under a year.

Last month, two British teenagers, Katie Gee and Kirstie Trup, were victims of an acid attack while they visited Zanzibar on a volunteering holiday. Doctors believed that their attackers used sulphuric acid from a car battery. It is thought that the girls will need skin grafts.

The attack on Father Mwagambwa could be a result of the escalating tensions between Christians and Muslims on Zanzibar

The attack on Father Mwagambwa could be a result of the escalating tensions between Christians and Muslims on Zanzibar, as well as throughout the rest of Tanzania. In February, a Catholic priest was shot dead, while a Muslim leader was also a victim of an acid attack last year.

Officials have offered a £4,000 reward for information that will lead to the arrest of the attackers. Zanzibar's president Ali Mohammed Shein spoke of the shock surrounding the assault, saying it had "brought chaos and confusion to our country".

No arrests have been made.

Kirstie Trup and Katie Gee were left badly scarred after an acid attack in Zanzibar [TWITTER]